Syrian Rebels Storm Presidential Palace in Damascus

The regime of President Assad of Syria appeared to fall on Sunday morning after rebel groups entered Damascus and claimed the ruler had fled the country.

Thousands of people gathered at a main square in the capital as the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) faction announced that the city was “free of Assad” and declared the “start of a new era”.

In a broadcast on state TV, the rebels announced “the fall of the tyrant Bashar al-Assad” and the release of the regime’s prisoners. Their statement also called on citizens to safeguard the “property of the free Syrian state”.